A data processing system (10) has a processor (11), a display device (15), and a user input arrangement (17) which includes a pointer control device (19) such as a mouse. An edit function input is entered through the user input arrangement (17) and a target to be edited is identified in response to the edit function input. The target comprises some displayed object that is specified by proximity to a system pointer (29) at the time the edit function input is received. The edit function input defines an edit operation to be performed by the data processing system (10) on the identified target. After receiving the edit function input and responding to the input by identifying the target, the method includes determining a state of the target which indicates whether or not the edit operation is currently applied to the target. If the state of the target indicates that the edit operation is not currently applied to the target, the method includes applying the edit operation to the target. In this way, the edit operation is applied to the target without first having to explicitly select the target.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
1. A method of performing an object editing operation in a data processing system having a display for displaying an object and also having a user input arrangement including a pointer control device for providing inputs to control the location of a pointer on the display, the data processing system also having a processing device programmed to receive and respond to inputs entered through the user input arrangement and provide an output for controlling the display, the method including the steps of: (a) receiving an edit function input entered through the user input arrangement, the edit function input defining an edit operation to be performed by the data processing system; (b) identifying a target in response to the edit function input, the target comprising an object appearing on the display as specified by proximity to the pointer at the time the edit function input is received; (c) determining a state of the target; and (d) applying the edit operation to the target if the state of the target indicates that the edit operation is not currently applied to the target; (e) identifying a first target string for the target if the state of the target indicates that the edit operation is currently applied to the target, the first target string comprising a first string of additional object elements which includes the target; (f) determining the state of the first target string; and (g) applying the edit operation to the first target string if the state of the first target string indicates that the edit operation is not currently applied to the first target string.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein the object comprises a text object and the predetermined minimum level of granularity defines the amount of text for the target to be a single word.
3. The method of claim 1 wherein the object comprises text and a predetermined minimum level of granularity defines the amount of text for the target to be a single target word, and wherein the first target string comprises a sentence which includes the target word.
4. The method of claim 1 further including the steps of: (a) identifying a second target string for the target if the state of the first target string indicates that the edit operation is currently applied to the first target string, the second target string comprising a second string of additional object elements which includes the first target string; (b) determining the state of the second target string; and (c) applying the edit operation to the second target string if the state of the second target string indicates that the edit operation is not currently applied to the second target string.
5. The method of claim 4 wherein the object comprises text and a predetermined minimum level of granularity defines the amount of text for the target to be a single target word, and wherein the first target string comprises a target sentence which includes the target word, and wherein the second target string comprises a paragraph which includes the target sentence.
6. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of receiving the edit function input comprises receiving input data from a keyboard associated with the user input arrangement.
7. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of receiving the edit function input comprises receiving input data from the pointer control device included in the user input arrangement, the input data from the pointer control device including a switch signal from a switch included in the pointer control device.
8. The method of claim 4 further including the steps of: (a) identifying a third target string for the target if the state of the second target string indicates that the edit operation is currently applied to the second target string, the third target string comprising a third string of additional object elements which includes the second target string; (b) determining the state of the third target string; and (c) applying the edit operation to the third target string if the state of the third target string indicates that the edit operation is not currently applied to the third target string.
9. A program product for performing an editing operation in a data processing system having a display for displaying an object and also having a user input arrangement including a pointer control device for providing inputs to control the location of a pointer on the display, the data processing system also having a processing device for executing the program product, the program product being stored on a computer readable medium and including: (a) input program code for receiving an edit function input entered through the user input arrangement and for associating the edit function input with an edit operation to be performed by the data processing system; (b) target identifying program code for identifying a target in response to the edit function input, the target comprising an object appearing on the display as specified by proximity to the pointer at the time the edit function input is received; (c) first target string identifying program code for identifying a first target string if a state of the target indicates that the edit operation is currently applied to the target, the first target string comprising a first string of object elements which includes the target; (d) state checking program code for determining the state of the target and for determining the state of the first target string; and (e) operation performance program code for applying the edit operation to the target if the state of the target indicates that the edit operation is not currently applied to the target and for applying the edit operation to the first target string if the state of the first target string indicates that the edit operation is not currently applied to the first target string.
10. The program product of claim 9 wherein the target identifying program code identifies a single target word of text as the target.
11. The program product of claim 9 further including second target string identifying program code for identifying a second target string if the state of the first target string indicates that the edit operation is currently applied to the first target string, the second target string comprising a second string of object elements which includes the first target string, and wherein: (a) the slate checking program code determines the stale of the second target string; and (b) the operation performance program code applies the edit operation to the second target string if the state of the second target string indicates that the edit operation is not currently applied to the second target string.
12. The program product of claim 11 further including third target string identifying program code for identifying a third target string if the state of the second target string indicates that the edit operation is currently applied to the second target string, the third target string comprising a third string of object elements which includes the second target string, and wherein: (a) the state checking program code determines the state of the third target string; and (b) the operation performance program code applies the edit operation to the third target string if the state of the third target string indicates that the edit operation is not currently applied to the third target string.
13. A data processing system including: (a) a display; (b) a user input arrangement including a pointer control device, the pointer control device for providing inputs to control the location of a pointer on the display; and (c) a processor programmed to: (I) receive an edit function input entered through the user input arrangement; (ii) identify a target in response to the edit function input, the target comprising an object appearing on the display as specified by proximity to the pointer at the time the edit function input is received; (iii) determine a state of the target; and (iv) apply an edit operation to the target if the state of the target indicates that the edit operation is not currently applied to the target, the edit operation comprising an operation defined by the edit function input; (v) identify a first target string for the target if the state of the target indicates that the edit operation is currently applied to the target, the first target string comprising a first string of additional object elements which includes the target; (vi) determine the state of the first target string; and (vii) apply the edit operation to the first target string if the state of the first target string indicates that the edit operation is not currently applied to the first target string.
14. The data processing system of claim 13 wherein the processor is also programmed to: (a) identify a second target string if the state of the first target string indicates that the edit operation is currently applied to the first target string, the second target string comprising a second string of additional object elements which includes the first target string; (b) determine the state of the second target string; and (c) apply the edit operation to the second target string if the state of the second target string indicates that the edit operation is not currently applied to the second target string.
15. The data processing system of claim 14 wherein the processor is also programmed to: (a) identify a third target string for the target if the state of the second target string indicates that the edit operation is currently applied to the second target string, the third target string comprising a third string of additional object elements which includes the second target string; (b) determine the state of the third target string; and (c) apply the edit operation to the third target string if the state of the third target string indicates that the edit operation is not currently applied to the third target string.
16. The data processing system of claim 14 wherein the target comprises a single target word, the first target string comprises a target sentence including the target word, and the second target string comprises a paragraph including the target sentence.
Cooperative Patent Classification codes for this invention. Click any code to explore related patents in that topic.
August 16, 2001
March 7, 2006
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